Results tagged ‘ Justin Thomas ’

Infielder Garrett Atkins has been unconditionally released by the Pirates, thereby ending his chances to make the team as a backup corner infielder. Atkins was apparently given the news on Sunday and was not in the clubhouse on Monday morning for comment.

Atkins, who signed a Minor League deal with Pittsburgh over the winter, went 4-for-31 and struck out 11 times. It’s unknown whether Atkins is going to try to sign elsewhere or if this will mark the end of his MLB career.

In addition to sending Atkins out, the Pirates reassigned Justin Thomas and Fernando Nieve to Minor League camp. Both signed Minor League deals over the winter and should start out the year in Triple-A Indianapolis’ bullpen. Thomas’ departure means that there is one less left-hander vying for a spot in the Pirates’ bullpen.

Granted, the Yankees didn’t bring many of their big guns to McKechnie Field on Tuesday. But a shutout is a shutout, and the Pirates were pleased to see all six of their pitchers come in and toss a scoreless inning or two.

The win was the third in five games for the Pirates this spring, and it gives the club back-to-back Grapefruit League victories for the first time since 2009. Yes, that is correct. The team did not win consecutive games once last spring.

The news of the day came this morning, as lefty Joe Beimel had to stop throwing because of more discomfort in his left throwing arm. You can read here to get a closer look at what other left-handed options the Pirates have should Beimel be sidelined into the season. I’ll give you the answer: not many. That doesn’t mean someone can’t step up, of course. But no matter how much the Pirates say they don’t mind going with no left-handed relievers if their best seven are all righties, I just can’t see that happening.

Beimel is undergoing an MRI as I type, though it’s not clear if the Pirates will reveal the results tonight. If not, we should know tomorrow morning how serious an issue this could be.

In today’s Bucs Beat, you’ll find additional injury updates (Scott Olsen, Evan Meek, Jose Ascanio), as well as a look into what James McDonald defines as his season goal. Check the main site later for those items.

As for your leftovers…

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A little more on McDonald’s start… It’s hard to compare two-inning spring outings, but McDonald appeared, to me, to be as sharp as any Pirates starter to take the mound yet. He was efficient and aggressive, not that the latter was ever much of a problem for McDonald last year.

He threw strikes, got ahead more times than not and got outs early in the count. These are all good early signs for a pitcher who has struggled to keep his pitch count low enough to go deep into his starts before.

McDonald threw mostly fastballs on Tuesday, mixing in one cutter, which is a pitch he is working to use more. Asked where he is in his Spring Training progression, McDonald said: “Actually, I feel like I’m a little ahead right now [compared to years’ past]. I was surprised how well I could go side-to-side over the plate. I am pretty happy with myself with the way I’m going.”

The most impressive thing, in my opinion, about McDonald so far is his attitude. He has every intention to lead by example, and for McDonald, that begins by not assuming that a spot in the rotation is already his.

“I’ve got to keep working to show my guys that I’m working really hard and that I’m not going to go through Spring Training like it’s a cakewalk because I’ve already made the team,” he said. “I don’t take it for granted that I’m on the team and sit back and relax.”

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If anyone is more determined this spring than Steve Pearce, I haven’t seen it. Talk about someone on a mission. In addition to doing everything he needs to do to prove he’s good enough to play third base, Pearce just looks like he refuses to be outworked by anyone.

He had a double in his only at-bat on Tuesday and swiped third base. He also made a nice catch in foul territory over the dugout railing. He has an extra bounce to his step that is noticeable and is out to give the Pirates no choice but to take him to Pittsburgh.

If he doesn’t make the roster out of Spring Training, I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him.

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As mentioned in the main story on pirates.com, Justin Thomas believes that, if Beimel is out with an injury, that he has the ability to step up and play an important role in the Pirates’ bullpen. The left-hander has not established himself as a consistent Major League reliever yet, but Thomas believes he is ready to make that step forward this year.

“I know what is expected from me,” he said. “I just need to do it now. I’m at the point in my career where I’ve had a couple stints in the Major Leagues with a couple different teams. I just need to be there and prove that I belong there. I want to be a guy who isn’t just good enough to be there when they need you but who is good enough to be there all the time.”

Thomas could have two new pitches at his disposal out of the ‘pen this year, too. He said he threw a lot of curveballs in winter ball this year and has a better feel for the pitch as a result. He is also in the process of adding a cutter to his repertoire.

The Pirates aren’t likely to throw Thomas into a set-up role right away, instead preferring to use more experienced right-handers (think: Evan Meek, Chris Resop) in those late-inning spots early. But there’s no question that the club would benefit if Thomas steps up and shows he deserves to pitch in higher leverage spots.

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Credit Daniel McCutchen with a nice bounceback performance after a rocky Grapefruit League appearance over the weekend. On Saturday, McCutchen was knocked for three runs on two hits and two walks. His command was quite suspect.

On Tuesday, he retired all six batters he faced. And McCutchen did so quickly.

I still suspect that McCutchen will begin the season in the Triple-A Indianapolis rotation, but he is out here competing for a bullpen spot. And actually, McCutchen could be better suited for a bullpen role long-term. He has a bulldog mentality and I could see him benefiting from going all out for one inning rather than having to hold back to ensure longevity.

“I really like the way that he responded from his last outing,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He went and filled the plate up with strikes, got after people. He’ll feel a lot better about himself tonight and that’s always good for all our guys. I like what I saw out of him today. He’s one of the guys that we’re expecting to see take a step forward and compete this spring.”

***The second save of the spring for the Pirates goes to Daniel Moskos, who had plenty of experience notching them while in the closer’s role with Altoona last year. Moskos rebounded nicely after issuing a one-out walk that brought the tying run to the plate. He appeared plenty poised working around the trouble.

“Daniel is competing,” Hurdle said. “I think he was slowing himself down a little bit and gathering himself a little better than he was last time out. He got outs when we needed him there. He’s coming along. We just need him to go pitch, make pitches, have confidence in himself, not let the game speed him up.”

Lefty reliever Justin Thomas has agreed to a Minor League contract with the Pirates for 2011. The deal includes an invitation for Thomas to participate in Spring Training with the Major League club.

Thomas was removed from the Pirates’ 40-man roster last week and subsequently rejected his outright assignment to Triple-A. That meant he was free to declare himself a Minor League free agent, which he did briefly, before resigning with Pittsburgh.

As was the case this past spring, Thomas will be competing for a spot in a Pirates’ bullpen that currently only has two set pieces – Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan - for next year. Thomas, 26, made 12 relief appearances for Pittsburgh in 2010. He allowed nine earned runs on 21 hits in 13 innings.

RHP Chan Ho Park has been taken off the 40-man roster, as he is now a free agent.

UPDATE/CLARIFICATION:

Because they have already been outrighted off a 40-man roster before, Moss, Thomas and Jackson are now free to declare Minor League free agency immediately. Expect each of the three to do so very soon.

Gallagher has accrued enough Minor League service time to also become a Minor League free agent, but he can’t do that immediately like the aforementioned guys. The Pirates have until 5 p.m. ET to try and negotiate a contract (techincally called a successor contract) with Gallagher to keep him. The Pirates are believed to be making such an attempt to resign Gallagher.

Clement doesn’t have the service time to become a Minor League free agent, so he will remain on Indianapolis’ roster. He should be invited to big league camp next spring, though he might still be recovering from knee surgery.

With the Braves sitting only 1/2 game ahead of the Phillies in the NL East standings, the Pirates will have the chance to affect that race one way or another these next two nights. Pittsburgh finished 4-2 against the Phillies this season. Currently, the Braves hold a 5-2 advantage in their season series against Pittsburgh.

The Pirates’ clubhouse got much more crowded today, as eight players from Triple-A Indianapolis’ club have arrived. That group includes Pedro Ciriaco, Jason Jaramillo, Brandon Moss, Alex Presley, Brian Bass, Steven Jackson, Brad Lincoln and Justin Thomas. Much much more on roles and expected playing time on the main site later today.

The Pirates have placed first baseman Jeff Clement on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 21) due to left knee irritation. At this point, the cause of the irritation isn’t known, though that will obviously be a point of discussion once the clubhouse opens later this afternoon.

Coming up in Clement’s place is left-hander Justin Thomas. This will mark the third time that Thomas has come up to Pittsburgh this season. So far, he’s 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA in seven appearances. Thomas, who gives the Pirates a second lefty in the bullpen, is expected to be in uniform for tonight’s game. The Pirates now have an eight-man bullpen.

As expected, the Pirates have recalled lefty Justin Thomas on Sunday. That gives the Pirates six bullpen arms for the series finale. James McDonald, acquired in the Octavio Dotel trade on Saturday, is expected to join the club Monday or Tuesday in Pittsburgh to complete the roster.

Pirates lose closer Octavio Dotel and lefty Javier Lopez. Dotel went to the Dodgers for right-hander James McDonald (who will join Pittsburgh next week) and outfielder Andrew Lambo. The Giants sent over righty Joseph Martinez and outfielder John Bowker for Lopez. The Pirates’ bullpen will no longer be so dominant.

The roster moves aren’t done just yet. Snyder and McDonald will join the club in Pittsburgh during the next homestand, and a catcher (likely Jason Jaramillo) will have to go down to open a spot for Snyder. Also, the Pirates need to call up one more reliever. Because he’s already on the 40-man roster, I’d guess that would be lefty Justin Thomas.

That should get you through today’s non-game content. Would love to hear your thoughts on the Pirates’ deals of the last 24 hours. I will tell you this — have heard from multiple reputable baseball folks (not within the Pirates organization) who lauded Huntington’s return for a group of players that were not going to be cornerstones of the organization.

Obviously, it’s going to take years to see how good or bad each trade turns out to be. But considering the Bucs did not give up any starting pitchers or starting position players, there’s a good chance the scales could ultimately tip in their favor. The bench and bullpen are the two easiest aspects of a club to rebuild in the winter, and that’s where all the subtractions came from.

The Pirates aren’t going to “officially” name a spot starter for Saturday, but some simple deduction points to one guy — Daniel McCutchen. Manager John Russell even hinted at such this afternoon.

The other three previous candidates won’t be available — Dana Eveland (designated for assignment), Brian Burres (started for Triple-A Indy yesterday) and Charlie Morton (starting for Indy tonight).

Plus… I just saw a No. 34 McCutchen jersey dropped off in the Pirates’ clubhouse. I’d call that a giveaway.

The announcement won’t come until after Friday’s game because the Pirates want to stick with an eight-man bullpen until then. Steven Jackson or Justin Thomas will likely be sent back to Indianapolis to make room for McCutchen, and my guess is that it will be Jackson.

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